


Ochiba

by reaperlove



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Characters Playing Pokemon GO, Fluff, Gardener Dean, Human Castiel, International Fanworks Day 2017, Japanese Leaf Art, Kissing, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pictures, Pining Dean, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 15:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9767288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reaperlove/pseuds/reaperlove
Summary: A story about how a pile of colorful leaves, pokemon go and a thermos full of coffee help to bring two grown dorks together.





	

Dean leaned heavily on the shovel he held in his calloused hands and squinted in the bright sunny sky. The weather had been dry and warm today after weeks of rain and Dean thanked whatever entity was responsible for that. Work outside was slow in this time of the year and Dean prefered digging in rich soil and caring for living things to putting up dry walls for hours on end in crammed, dusty rooms.

 

He looked around the park and couldn’t hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was proud of what he’d done with it since he took over as gardener/caretaker/handyman from his uncle Bobby. Reluctantly so at first, because the thought of planting pretty flowers and mowing the grass didn’t seem to fit the image he and everybody else had of Dean Winchester. But he’d owed it to Bobby, who had practically raised him and his little brother Sam and was now bound to a wheelchair after a horrific car accident. So Dean had traded the perpetually petrol smelling workplace of his father’s former garage in for fresh air and the feeling of dirt running through his fingers. And he loved every second he got to work at the historic South Park for the small parks department of Lawrence, Kansas. He was pretty much his own boss and didn’t mind to mostly work alone. It had its perks. He looked around and when he was sure nobody was watching, he gently caressed the rose colored blossoms of a turtlehead.

 

The sun was already setting and most parents had gone with their kids for the day, leaving the park mostly empty and quiet. Dean was humming to himself while he raked leaves under a tall white ash. He was chuckling to himself as he arranged the last heap of golden leaves in the shape of a smiley when he heard someone clear his throat behind him.

 

“That is a very nice example for Japanese leave art. I’ve heard that ochiba has become increasingly popular on social media, but I wasn’t expecting to see an example here in rural Kansas. Do you mind if I take a picture?”

 

Dean blinked at the tall, dark haired man who was currently waving a smartphone up and down in front of Dean’s face. He was standing somewhat uncomfortably close, granting Dean an unobstructed view into deep blue eyes though. He could even make out a darker ring surrounding the azur blue irises.

 

“I’m sorry if I interrupted your work. I was hunting a Charizard when I noticed the smiling face.”

 

Dean shook himself out of his stupor and blushed a little. The guy must think he was some sort of a colossal numbnut for standing there gaping, almost drooling.

 

“No, no, it’s fine, go ahead, I don’t mind at all, nope….everything is okie dokie.” Dean actually gave a double thumbs up and could have slapped himself for that stupidest of gestures ever. The guy just tilted his head to the side and after he had studied Dean’s face for a short while, a timid smile lit up his face.

 

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you….” He raised his eyebrows questioningly, waiting for Dean to respond.

 

“Dean, my name is Dean, I’m the gardener here, as you can obviously see I guess.” Dean stopped his ranting and lowered the volume of his voice. “And I’m going to shut up now, yup, that’s what I’ll do.”

 

The man let out a raspy laugh and snapped a picture of the pile of carefully arranged yellow leaves.

 

“Well, I’m glad you chose this occupation and what I can see is that you’re going about it with obvious joy, which is what made me stumble upon your art in the first place. Upon the art and the artist. It was a pleasure meeting you, Dean.”

 

Dean could hardly suppress a shiver. Hearing his name coming out of this gorgeous mouth did things to him. He was so, so very much screwed.

 

“I apologize for my interruption though, I’lI leave you to your work now.” He tabbed the screen of his phone several times and frowned at it. “I still haven’t found the cabbage I need to upgrade my Pikachu.” He looked up at Dean again and winked. He freaking winked! At least that was was Dean thought he did, it looked a bit peculiar, the whole face practically scrunched “I see you again tomorrow, maybe?”

 

Dean couldn’t help a dopy grin spreading across his face at the thought of meeting the mysterious, handsome guy again and he nodded. So very much screwed indeed. Before he could come up with a halfway intelligent answer, the man in the tan trenchcoat had already walked away and all Dean could do was watching him go.

 

 

 

Dean hadn’t put any effort at all into choosing a nice, dark green shirt to wear the next day, or at looking up “ochiba”, “charizard” and “pokemon go” all night. Because that was what the man who’s name Dean had forgotten to ask for was apparently playing. No effort whatsoever.

 

He was lost in inappropriate thoughts about how broad the shoulders and toned the chest of the nameless guy looked under his bulky coat and white button up the whole time he cleared the grass of the foliage. His eyes glazed over while he contemplated how the plain blue tie brought out the color of those unforgettable eyes. He had maybe accidentally tripped over the ilex and ripped off some of its green leaves in the progress because they made for a life like pokemon cabbage. Dean took a last look at the image of the vegetable when he heard footsteps crunching on the gravel path behind him. He closed his eyes briefly and straightened his shoulders before he turned around with a smile.

 

“Hi... uhm, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name yesterday.” A light pink tinted his cheeks as Dean stepped closer to the man who waited for him with an outstretched hand.

 

“My apologies, Dean, my name is Castiel.” And there it was again, the gossebumps spreading all over his body when Dean heard Castiel speak out his name. He took Castiel’s hand and shook it, relishing in the feeling of strong, elegant fingers wrapped around his own scarred, weather worn ones.

 

“Nice to meet you, Castiel. Again that is, ha ha, uhm, I think we already met but that was yesterday and today is a brand new day.” What the hell was wrong with him? Dean usually wasn’t awkward around other people, on the contrary, the Winchester charme was freaking legendary. But Castiel didn’t seem to notice or he didn’t care, he just smiled at Dean, looking him straight in the eyes and held his hand maybe a bit longer than strictly necessary. A fact that sent a swarm of butterflies fluttering around in Dean’s stomach.

 

“Oh, that is wonderful, Dean. You made a cabbage for me!” Castiel stepped closer to Dean’s latest creation and took a series of photos from different angles, making Dean’s chest swell with pride. He rubbed his neck and walked over to where Cas was now practically lying on the ground to get a better close up. Dean absolutely did not oogle Castiel’s nice booty.

 

“No big thing, I just thought you might like it and I had a little time on my hands, so, well, there it is.” Castiel got to his feet and Dean moved a little closer, enjoying the presence of the well muscled man. It had gotten more chilly now that the sun was setting and he noticed Castiel shivering in his light coat.

 

“I got some coffee left in my thermos, “ Dean said, hastily adding “Only if you want to, of course.”

 

“That would be very nice, thank you, Dean.” The bright smile let Castiel’s eyes twinkle in a whole new interesting shade of blue and it took Dean some effort not to lean in closer to get a better look.

 

“It’s right behind the Theodore Roosevelt fountain, it’s a nice place, peaceful and...stuff.” Eloquent, Winchester, you’re a real catch. But Cas (wow, he already had a nickname for him, not a good sign) ignored his mindless rambling and just followed him to the heart of the park.

 

Dean poured them both a cup of the still hot liquid and they sat down on a bench, facing the historic fountain, slowly migrating towards each other until their free hands touched. It was like an electric shock, onl more pleasant. And damn it, Dean had had his fair share of hookups and short lived relationships, but he’d never felt like this. He was almost 36 years old, not some blushing teenaged virgin, but he had to bite his lips not to grin like an idiot when Cas covered Dean’s hand with his own.

 

They sat in amiable silence, trading shy looks and enjoying the sunset. When it got too cold to stay seated motionless, Cas got up to his feet.

 

“Thank you, Dean, for everything. That was the most pleasurable evening I’ve had in a very long time.” With that Castiel leaned down and pecked a soft kiss to Dean’s rapidly heating cheek.

 

“No problem, buddy, it was nice. yeah, nice, very nice.” Cas stepped away and Dean was still scolding himself for his sudden social awkwardness when Castiel turned and waved at him before he disappeared behind the William Kelly bandstand.

 

 

 

 

It became a ritual between them for the next two weeks, Dean creating pictures out of fallen leaves (and the occasional violently shook down leaves) and sharing a cup of coffee on what had quickly become “their bench”. It never progressed further than holding hands and a short kiss to the cheek, but Dean just loved the time they spent together. they chatted about everything and nothing, simply enjoying each other’s presence in silence. It had gotten so easy to talk to Cas after the first awkwardness had gone and Dean found he missed their evening coffee dates on his days off.

 

Sam made fun of Dean and his obvious crush at Sam’s weekly phone call from California where he was studying anthropology.

 

“Dude, you’re so gone on that guy. You’ve been talking to me about his “azure blue orbs” for an hour straight now. Are you planning to make a move sometime soon or are do you want to keep your relationship at a strictly PG 13 level forever?” Dean could hear Sam rolling his eyes through the phone line.

 

“It’s not a relationship, Sammy.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that, Dean.” Sam scoffed.

 

It took Dean a while to get out the next words. “And besides, I’m not even sure Cas would like that, I don’t want to scare him away for good.”

 

This time Sam outright laughed at Dean. “How is it possible that Dean “Ladies-and-Guys-man” Winchester can be so oblivious of any kind of flirting? He’s probably chewing one of his sibling’s ears off about you and your moss green eyes on the other end of town right now.”

 

Sam continued in a soft, serious voice. “Sometimes you have to take a risk to find happiness. And that’s all I want for you, Dean, a little happiness. You deserve it.”

 

Dean had to swallow past a lump in his throat. “Yeah, okay. Are we done with the chick-flick crap now or what?”

 

They talked for a while longer about Sam’s course load and the fiery brunette he had met, Eileen was her name, and was now taking ASL lessons for. When he hung up, Dean remained motionless on the couch, images of Castiel and his chapped yet soft lips running through his head and the thought of how much Dean wanted to feel those lips on his own. With a sudden burst of grim determination he leaned forward and fired up his laptop. He had some serious planning to do.

 

 

 

Cas showed up at their usual spot by the fountain at their usual time, only to find the bench empty, not even the thermos was there. Maybe he had gotten the dates wrong and it was Dean’s day off. Cas shoulders slumped and he started to walk away when he spotted a picture of Pikachu’s head on the path to the pavilion, followed by an all leaf Charizard. The next leaves formed a small green and pink heart and when Cas looked up with a fond smile on his lips he saw Dean standing at the end of the path, nervously shifting from one foot to the other, holding a bouquet of roses made out of red maple tree leaves. Cas stepped closer and Dean all but shoved the fake roses in Castiel’s hands, clearing his throat.

 

“Cas, uh, Castiel, would you maybe like to go on a date with me? I mean a proper dinner and movie date. No pressure though, if that’s not your thing.” Dean was beet red by the time he’d finished talking, not daring to look Cas in the eye.

 

He felt delicate fingers touching his chin, slowly lifting up his head. Cas was standing so close to him that Dean could feel his breath ghosting over his face.

 

“I thought you’d never ask.” Cas leaned in for a kiss and they still stood there lost in each other’s touch long after the sun had already set.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s time for SPN Coldest Hits again, this month’s prompt was “Pokenatural”. Please check out the website for pod7et’s wonderful drawing.
> 
> There is an actual South Park with a fountain and a bandstand in Lawrence.
> 
> I’ll be eternally grateful for ever kudos and comment left on this work :)


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